Las Vegas, DC and Charlotte are some of the markets that are speculated to be possible expansion destinations for Call of Duty League, but Commissioner Johanna Faries also does not rule out that Europe will end up in the mix, reports Adam Stern, Sports Business Journal. Although Faries will not confirm or deny the US markets, she tells SBJ: “It is reasonable to assume that we are not only interested in North American hotbeds, but even through the dam in Europe and beyond.”
CDL starts its second season with 12 teams, but decides to expand by 2021 amid the pandemic. Faries admitted to SBJ in Augustt it Activision Blizzard Esports was in talks with potential investors about the purchase in the league. Previous slots were $ 25 million USD, but it was unclear whether the price would be the same for new franchises.
Faries has shown an optimistic tone over the upcoming CDL season, which is lightened on the franchise side 100 thieves connection to the LA market and NRGs Chicago Huntsmen renamed as Optical Chicago. On the game side, the biggest changes will see 4v4 instead of 5v5 and teams now playing Black Ops Cold War on computers. All events will only stay online to start the season.
“The pandemic has brought many blessings and many curses, just as most leagues have been in other sports and esports,” she said. “It has strengthened us in some ways. We now have the chance to take a breather, judge what went well and what did not go so well, and that we need improvement and apply it to the 2021 experience, so I think fans are going see many more of us, even in an online environment. ”
Faries says she enjoys her new additional role as Activision Blizzard Esports VP and head of leagues, working closely with new Activision Blizzard President of Sports and Entertainment Tony Petitti.
